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Demon
A Demon, Pterodactyl or "Vichukha" (as referred to in several Russian sequels to 2033) is a surface predator that appears throughout the metro universe. Overview Demons are large, powerful predators that are only found on the surface. They have a human sized body with a knobbly spine, short tail and three pairs of limbs: four prehensile limbs and two large wings. They also have a long head with a blunt snout, consisting of a bat-like nose, eyes with vertical cat-like slit pupils set far apart on the head, and a large mouth with 4 primary teeth and several secondary teeth. The backs of demons are covered in sparse, short black fur and there are folds of skin on the base of the neck. Demons produce roars that seem to be a guttural version of a tiger's. They hunt in small packs spread out across several blocks, so if one is seen, there's likely to be another close by. They hunt watchers and humans brave or foolish enough to venture to the surface. Like gargoyles they perch on the corners of buildings next to a relatively open area, allowing them to find prey more easily. While they prefer to attack by circling overhead and swooping down on prey to wound it or carry it away, if they can catch humans in the open they will sometimes land to attack. They tend to avoid entering structures as this limits their ability to escape by flying if the situation turns against them, but in some occasions they will attack through windows, doors, or damaged walls or other barriers to get at human prey inside. Mutated From Demons don't have projecting ears, instead possessing ear-holes similar to that of reptiles, birds and amphibians. However, the demons possess hair while lacking feathers, scales, or beaks, suggesting a mammal origin. Their size, specialized predatory features, and vestigial (though still easily visible) tail make a bat ancestry less likely, and their legs are similar to feline or canine hind legs. Also, their roars strongly resemble those of a lion, tiger, or other large cat (as opposed to the screeching of a bat), and they possess vertical slit pupils similar to felines. These features, in addition to the layout of their teeth, would seem to support the possibility that the demons are descended from tigers, which were native to some parts of Russia before the war. Tactics Demons usually fly around, high up as to where they can't get hit, before they swoop down to either attack in passing with its claws and teeth, or else to pick its victim up and drop them from high above to kill them. Although it's not a very big being, it will take quite a few shots from the Automatic Shotgun to kill it, and even more from a Kalash. Fighting it in the open is an extremely dangerous endeavor; if you insist on doing so, your only hope is to make absolutely sure that there's a tall, solid object behind you (this will prevent them from making swooping attacks, and will force them to land in order to attack). If the player is intending to fight a demon they should well prepared, as they are extremely tough, even on easy difficulty. If the PC hasn't the sticky grenades to fight and instantly kill a standard demon, they can take between six and twelve shots from the Automatic Shotgun, or almost three magazines from a Kalash, though on lower difficulties, one revolver clip (six rounds) will usually suffice. The demons prefer to perch in only a handful of locations; it is possible to locate an area of cover with a view of one of these positions and inflict head-shots on the demons with a scoped weapon. They will usually take off after the first few shots, but eventually return to the same position. A scoped revolver is ideal for this method of attack, being able to kill the demon with relatively few shots. Demons are able to land in places other than their preset perches, however, and may attempt to do so if the player is hiding in a spot with a lot of horizontal cover but no roof, such as on the top floor of the Nazi outpost. Related Achievements In the Novel Demons are the first surface creatures seen by Artyom on his trip to the Library from Polis where one is seen nesting on a church spire. They are described as having leathery wings and are often called "pterodactyls" by other stalkers however unlike the game they are described as not having any neck, with long heads jutting from their chest. Demons are encountered again when Artyom is pursued by watchers when one swoops down and carries one off to eat. Later a demon attacks Artyom himself outside VDNKh station as it has made a nest directly above the station entrance, it also attacks the rangers vehicle, a scene used again in the video game when demons pull over the vehicle in the Prologue. Trivia * Bourbon jokingly prefers to call them "bitches", as he says in the mission Dead City 1. *As demons prefer high locations from where they can spot their prey the largest amount of Demons encountered in game can be found at Ostankino Tower. Roughly six are seen at once descending from the tower to attack the Rangers as they are busy fighting the Howler horde. *None of the standard demons in the game have to be killed, all can be avoided except the one on top of the Ostankino Tower. On the other hand, all demons can be killed (excluding the swarm from the Tower level), but some are particularly difficult to kill, as they only appear for a short period of time. *If Artyom gets pounced by a demon, or picked up off the ground, he cannot survive. This often ends in death though in levels such as Outpost or Alley. The player can also kill the demon quickly with a Volt Driver or Heavy Automatic Shotgun. Sticky Grenades are fairly effective too. *On Dead City 2, the player has roughly 10–20 seconds to run from, or kill the demon that attacks Artyom and Bourbon, or it will pounce Artyom. This gives the player just enough time to clear any watchers, and run for cover. *On Top, Artyom must kill the demon before it finishes off injured Miller, otherwise the mission will fail. *In the novel, some of the Stalkers tell Artyom that the demons might actually come from the native birds who resided in Moscow before the blast. The idea is later re-enforced as a Stalker informs that demons nest, usually in high places. **In the novel it is mentioned that some demons made their nest right on the top of Cathedral of Christ the Savior. *Because their eyes are quite small and on the sides of their head, it is unlikely the demons hunt by sight. Their large nasal ducts suggest a powerful sense of smell. It is likely they stay high to catch wafting odors and land at ground level to investigate scents and track potential prey. Gallery DemonConceptArt.jpg|Official demon concept art. DemonOnline.jpg|Concept art of a Pterodactyl for the Russian Metro 2033 Online. Demon.jpg|A demon pokes its head underground. Icallem.jpeg|Waiting for prey to come out into the open Top 1.png|A demon on top of the tower. Alley_M2033_alpha_0005.jpg|A cut ability of the Demon to catch, lift and kill the player was brought back in the sequel image_294930_thumb_wide620.jpg|Demon in Metro Last Light Category:Mutants